Mugabe lessons well-learned

An afternoon of violence in Caracas today. Massive riots all along the main East-West road – Avenida Libertador – all afternoon. Meanwhile, Chavez and the G15 representatives sit in an air conditioned hall a mile away heartily applauding Robert Mugabe’s speech. Sickening.

I have never seen the National Guard use that much tear gas at once…clouds and clouds of it on Avenida Libertador all afternoon. Nasty.

The climate now is of total destabilization. The opposition is incredibly angry and not very rational at the moment. People want trouble. It’s April 9th all over again.

At 5:00 pm there are reports of gunshots on Avenida Libertador. No cassualty count yet.

Today marks a dangerous turning point in the crisis. The opposition has decided to meet the governments provocation strategy with a full-on provocation of its own. People on the opposition side have simply lost all faith in CNE – the reparo process now seems distant. Things will not be the same from tomorrow.